At the beginning of February, the Schuylerville CSD Board of Education began its official search for a superintendent through an internal posting. James Dexter, District Superintendent of the WSWHE Supervisory District, sent an application to six Schuylerville CSD employees who hold an SDL certification (School District Leader) or SDA certification (School District Administrator), the qualification needed for a superintendency. Mr. Dexter received one application from Mr. Gregg Barthelmas, Schuylerville CSD’s Director of Pupil Personnel Services. Mr. Barthelmas was subsequently interviewed by the Board of Education on Thursday, March 31st. The candidate gave a detailed presentation to the board and discussed his thoughts and vision for the district moving forward. The presentation was followed by a nearly three-hour long interview during which board members had the opportunity to ask the candidate a variety of questions on topics including, but not limited to, the district’s culture, morale, leadership, academics, budgeting, and the importance of the connection between the school and our community.
At the conclusion of the interview, the Board of Education made the decision to advance Mr. Barthelmas to the advisory committee interviews, which will be held on Monday, April 4. The committees, composed of parents, community members, faculty, administrators, staff and students, will provide direct feedback to the Board on Tuesday, April 5. Shortly after this time, the Board will make a final decision as to whether or not the internal search has yielded a successful internal candidate for the superintendency.
The advisory committees are composed of the following people, chosen during a drawing held via livestream on March 21:
Committee #1
- Administrators: Christine Burke & James Ducharme
- Teachers Association (2)
- 1 elementary school teacher: Andy Jennings
- 1 middle school teacher: Amy Steele-Whitney
- Non-instructional staff (2): Pam Driscoll & Sarah Keen
- Parents (2): Michelle Lance & Deb Peck Kelleher
- Community members (without children in the district) (2): Patti Smola & Beth Woodard
- Students (2): Mary McGloine & Daniel Carozza
Committee #2
- Administrators (2): Rose Beckett & Katie Elsworth
- Teachers Association (2)
- 1 high school teacher: Erin Lloyd
- 1 ‘at large’ teacher: Sarah Rust
- Non-instructional staff (2): Brooke Abruscato & Birgit Murray
- Parents (2): Dawn Cottrell & Beth Gelber
- Community members (without children in the district) (2): Rebecca Baldwin & John Violette
- Students (2): Mallory Sickles & John Harshbarger
On behalf of the Board of Education, I’d like to thank our community once again for the large number of responses we received to our superintendent search survey. This search has been a great opportunity for the Board to not only look for a new leader, but also to engage parents, students, staff, and the community about the needs of our district. We will be providing another update to the community within a week about the determination of our internal search.
Thank you,
Michael Bodnar
Schuylerville CSD Board of Education President